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Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Mecca for the Misfits

Daily, there are still participants of Occupy Wall Street in Union Square. At night, you will find the last vestiges in what has become largely a circus with a cast of characters unseen anywhere else. It is the home of those with nothing else to do and nowhere else to go.

At night, political rants, banners, and slogans recede into the darkness. Books sit unsold. Skateboarders skate as usual, navigating around standers and sitters. Girls with wild hair walk barefoot ala Woodstock. Police presence dwindles as the likelihood of serious problems nears zero. Most lack the ambition to stage or organize any significant protest. It is about community and fraternizing. It's fodder for some of the best photo ops of people and some of the wildest juxtapositions in New York City.

It's an inspiration and demonstration that here, polar opposites can coexist and befriend each other. Here, an orthodox Jew sits on the ground and mingles with the young, restless, nihilistic, and disenchanted. A few members of Hare Krishna dance entranced and encourage a handful of onlookers to join them. It's a place where everything is illuminated but nothing is clear.